Stained Glass Window

Stained Glass Windows

Emmanuel's Stained Glass Windows

Emmanuel’s stained glass windows tell a story of love and redemption. They are works of art that allow light to illumine the sanctuary. The stained glass windows will enhance the worship, faith development and Christian education of Emmanuel members for years to come. What a beautiful legacy to leave for generations to follow. Many of our stained glass windows are dedicated to the memory of members who have gone on to glory.

About the Images

WINDOW I – THE LIGHT

Psalm 27:1

The LORD is my light and my salvation - whom shall I fear? The LORD is the stronghold of my life - of whom shall I be afraid?John 8:12

Jesus said, "I am the light of the world. People that follow me will not walk in the dark. They will have the light of life".

Christ is the Light of the world. God is light, and Christ is the image of the invisible God. One sun enlightens the whole world; so does one Christ and there needs no more. What a dark dungeon would the world be without the sun! So would it be without Jesus, by whom light came into the world. Those who follow Christ shall not walk in darkness.

WINDOW II - THE CROSS AND THE CROWN

The Cross reminds Christians of God's act of love in Christ's sacrifice at Calvary —"the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world." The cross also reminds Christians of Jesus' victory over sin and death, since it is we who believe that through His death and resurrection He conquered death itself.. The cross recalls the crucifixion of Jesus and humanity's redemption thereby. The cross in this symbol is sometimes depicted at an angle, as it would have been when Jesus dragged it up the mount at Golgotha. Cross (with crown at base) - salvation.

The Crown - reward of faithful, victory, triumph, glory; righteousness; resurrection. Crown on cross represents the sovereignty of Christ. A golden crown is for the Divine good from which is the Divine truth.

WINDOW III – THE OPEN BIBLE

The Bible is a book of spiritual writings written by the Spirit of God through men (2 Peter 1:20-21). The Bible is the living word of God. We are to live by every word of the Bible (Matt. 4:4). It is a book telling us how to obtain eternal life. It contains the answers to all the mysteries of life. The Bible contains the directions on how to enter the kingdom of God and be converted (Matt. 5:20; 7:21).

The Bible tells us not to be foolish, but understand what God wants us to do, and then do it (Eph. 5:17)! Jesus said His Way is very easy and pleasant, and some of us will do greater works than He did (Matt. 11:30; John 14:12). The Bible says we are foolish if we think works are not necessary for repentance (James 2:20; Acts 26:20).

We must study God’s word to show that we love God (2 Tim. 2:15). We need to engage in acts of righteousness for repentance (Titus 2:7; 3:8). Remember, if the righteous are saved with difficulty, what will happen to the person who continues to live to the flesh and not to the Spirit, which is God (1 Peter 4:18; Rom. 8:13)?

WINDOW IV- THE CROSS AND THE ANCHOR

WINDOW IV- THE CROSS RECONCILES (PAYS) OUR DEBT

The Bible recognizes the truth that all sin must be punished. After all, God is just. And justice requires that wrongs are punished. And God has a set of holy commandments (laws) that must also be obeyed. So, it shouldn't surprise you that God requires this justice of us. The Bible also tells us that we could never pay the price for our sin on our own. Our sin is punishable by death. So, the cross is the place where Jesus paid the price for us, and in doing so, he united us to God: Eph.2:14-16

The Cross is Where God Does ALL the WorkIf we could pay our own penalty, we would eventually become proud and boastful, and confident in our own ability to live our lives apart from God. Maybe that's why God does all the work here. In the end, HIS effort to save us is all we can ever boast about, and God likes it that way. Maybe that's because He knows that we end up worshipping whatever we boast about. God wants to be the only object of our worship, so His work on the cross is the central focus of our faith: Galatians 6:12-16

The Cross Demonstrates the Power of God to Save Us In the end, the cross is the ultimate demonstration of God's power. After all, we could never have accomplished our salvation on our own. But the cross can be confusing to many people around us who still want to live apart from God. It makes no sense from a worldly perspective! But that shouldn't surprise us. Scripture tells us that a God who loves us like that will blow our minds. That kind of love seems unreasonable and foolish to those who really want to save themselves: 1 Corinthians 1:17-19

The cross is a symbol of God's power; of the work he did to save us. It is the focus of our pride and the symbol of our salvation.

In Christianity the cross reminds Christians of God's act of love in Christ's sacrifice at Calvary—"the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world." The cross also reminds Christians of Jesus' victory over sin and death, since it is that through His death and resurrection He conquered death itself.

WINDOW V - SUMMARY OF THE BOOKS OF THE BIBLE

The Old Testament

There are 39 Books in the Old Testament, separated into four divisions:

General Epistles: James I and II, Peter, The Epistles Of John & & Jude.

Prophetical Book: Revelation

WINDOW VI - THE SPIRITUAL MEANING OF THE ARK

The Ark of Noah is a rich picture of the salvation provided by Christ to today who is our Ark of safety.

Some of the points of comparison are: God took the initiative in sparing Noah and his family. “But God demonstrates His own love for us in this: “While we were still sinners Christ died for us.” Romans 5:8.

There was a divine and human side to the Ark as Christ is both human and divine.

There was only one door to enter into the Ark as there is only one way to God and that is through Christ Jesus. “I am the gate for the sheep…” John 10:7.

There was great security for the passengers of the Ark. Likewise if we are in Christ we are secure. See Romans 8:31

WINDOW VII - THE SPIRITUAL MEANING OF WHEAT

I tell you the truth, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds.

The signification of wheat is love and charity; therefore wheat-harvest is an advancing state of love and charity. The reason why a wheat-harvest signifies an advancing state of love and charity, is that a field signifies the church, and thus the things of the church; and the seeds sown in the field signify the things of good and truth; and the plants born from them, such as wheat signify the things of love and charity, and also of faith. The states of the church in regard to these things are therefore compared to seedtime and harvest, and are so called, as in (Genesis 8:22).

If we would have harvests of heavenly wheat, our hearts must be deeply, thoroughly tilled. No weeds of selfish thinking must be left. We must be thoroughly yielding and willing, full of desire to do the Lord’s will and nothing else.

May God bless us to live as a kernel of wheat that dies and produces many seeds.

WINDOW VIII - THE SPIRITUAL MEANING OF GRAPES

Grapes in the Bible symbolize charity. Because "grapes" in the Word signify charity and what is of charity, therefore "wine" signifies the faith thence derived and the things that belong to it, for wine is from grapes.

Ripe grapes symbolize the blood of Jesus. Wine represents the blood of Christ. He gives us the “wine” of his blood. “After supper he took the cup, saying, ‘This cup is the new covenant in my blood’” (1 Corinthians 11:25). That cup symbolized partaking in the benefits of Jesus’ death for us (Matthew 26:27, John 6:53-56, 1 Corinthians 10:16). The crushed grapes made the liquid that they would drink; and Jesus was crushed through his death on the cross, and the blood he shed brings us life today (1 Corinthians 10:16-17).

Through his blood, we receive every blessing that comes from eternity, something that this world cannot offer. The wine of this world never satisfies or brings lasting happiness.

WINDOW IX - A MIGHTY FORTRESS IS OUR GOD

PSALM 46

The psalm is structured in three parts. These breaks are identified with the ending “selah.” This is a psalm that paints an image for our minds. Therefore, as we read, we need to visualize the points the psalmist makes as he describes the help and power of the Lord. Verses 1,3 assure us not to fear, even when all of creation is collapsing around us. God Is For Us (1-3) Verses 4,7 proclaim God's presence in Zion 's midst, even when surrounded by conflict and catastrophe God Is With Us (4-7). In verses 8,11 God calls for peace among the nations. God Is Victorious Among Us (8-11) Each section of the psalm reminds us that God is with us and is our refuge and our strength. . God is everpresent when our bodies fail us and the vibrancy of life fades into faint memories. God is a mighty fortress where we can flee when our faith is being attacked by the swords of doubt and spears of misfortune. God is the Rock upon which we stand when the quicksand of human troubles would pull us under. God is our refuge and our strength, an ever present help in times of trouble.

WINDOW X - I AM THE BREAD OF LIFE

And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst. John 6:35 (KJV)

The Bread of Life is the spiritual food needed by man. Without the bread of life man cannot live spiritually. Just as physically man needs to eat in order to live, the bread of life gives nourishment for the soul. Unless one eats from the bread of life he faces eternal death. Jesus is the Bread of Life. Just as bread nourishes our physical bodies, Jesus gives and sustains eternal life to all believers..

Since Jesus is the Bread of Life, I will treat Him with as great importance as actual food. I will partake of Him each day by praying, reading His word and listening for the Holy Spirit, knowing that as I focus on Him, He is nourishing me spiritually. Also, as I eat, I will remember that physical food is a symbol of how we are to relate to Jesus spiritually, and I will thank Him for providing me with both physical food for my body and spiritual food for my soul. Bread must be eaten daily. Remember from the Lord’s Prayer; “Give us today our daily bread.” We need to seek and encounter Jesus 24-7 7 days a week. Bread produces growth. We cannot grow without eating what is healthy such as bread and we cannot grow spiritually without having Jesus in our life. In a very real way, we are to become what we eat, to become more like Jesus. Jesus must become as real to us as our need to eat and to drink.

WINDOW XI - SPIRITUAL MEANING OF THE DOVE

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was without form, and void; and darkness was on the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters. (Gen 1:1, 2)

The first two verses of the Bible records that the Spirit of God hovered over the waters. The meaning of the word “hover” in the original biblical text is compared to a dove preparing to fly over the water. It was the Spirit of God that transformed the earth from its lifeless form to a life-giving place (Ps 104).This is true of our spirituality. Apart from God, our spiritual life would be in desperation and darkness. Without Him, our life would feel empty and dissatisfied, but the Holy Spirit brings us a new hope and a new sense of fulfillment.

The Dove universally symbolizes innocence, gentleness, faith, marital affection, peace and constancy. Peace is one part of the fruit of the Holy Spirit. If we are filled with the Holy Spirit, we are able to live at peace with everyone. The deepest kind of Peace and Faith is symbolized by the Dove. Without the Holy Spirit, it is hard for us to be united in one mind and recognize God’s will. When the white dove carries an olive branch, it represents peace. In the Bible it was a dove released from the Ark by Noah which returned with an olive branch to show that the Biblical flood was over. Ever since, the dove has symbolized deliverance and God's forgiveness.

The dove reminds us how important peace is. It reminds us that no matter what is happening in our lives, we are able to appreciate the simple blessings that go unnoticed in the chaos that surrounds us each day.